Territory
by xXfireXflyXx
Summary: Mr. Gold watches the young men flirt with his Belle, and he doesn't like it - not one bit. One-shot, slightly AU due to actual happiness in the Rumbelle relationship.


**This little fic is in response to an unfilled Rumbelle Prompt from the OUATKinkmeme:**

_**He is tired of seeing all the young single men flirting with her; it's about time they realize who she belongs to.**_

**Enjoy!**

* * *

There were many things about this new land that puzzled Gold, and nothing more so than communal picnics. He couldn't fathom why anyone would want to bring food to some cleared spot at a park, spread out a blanket, and sit there amongst the ants and flies. In fact, he had made his disdain for the practice perfectly clear when he and Belle received an invitation to a barbeque picnic thrown by the Charmings, and yet here they were. When Belle pried open the invitation's envelope with her lovely fingers, he watched her face light up with a distinct disliking for where that might put him in the very near future.

It was autumn at last, and Belle had finally moved back in. She had spent the spring and summer away from him, determined to make it on her own, but had recently conceded to his carefully placed suggestions for cohabitation. They were much better together; she practically spent five nights a week in his bed anyway, and he thought it silly of her to waste her new hard-earned money on some basic apartment downtown. Naturally, she missed being so close to the library, but he was more than happy to drive her there each morning and pick her up come closing time; that was the last he had heard of a complaint on her end about the distance.

The cream-coloured invitation for the fall barbeque-picnic-extravaganza had arrived several days earlier, and Gold's immediate reaction was to pluck it from her hands and accidentally drop it into the fireplace. Even if he was on marginally good terms with Snow and Emma and their ilk, he certainly had no desire to sit in some field and eat a hamburger. Belle, on the other hand, seemed thrilled at the prospect. She had been trying so hard over the last few months to find her niche in Storybrooke, and seemed quite keen on making friends amongst the people who liked to make Gold's life difficult ever since the Curse had been broken.

He wanted to seem supportive – he really did. So, Gold had encouraged her friendships, watching them blossom particularly well with the Wolf and Snow's dwarves. However, his encouragement floundered when she pressed for _him_ to get involved with the community. In his opinion, he interacted with the good folk of Storybrooke just the right amount; he still made his monthly rounds for rent collections, granted a few favours here and there (for a price, naturally), and escorted Belle on date nights to some of the better known establishments in the town's core. People saw him just as much as he saw them, and he had absolutely no desire to see them anymore than necessary.

And yet… here he was, seated on a park bench and surrounded by the people who always thought him so untouchable. The entire town hadn't warranted an invite, which seemed to make Belle pleased once she realized it, but Gold had spent the better part of their hour there counting down the minutes until they could leave. As he expected, Charming stood at the helm of the event, in charge of charring meat at the black metallic barbeque that someone had volunteered to give. He could see Henry and Emma racing about with other children at the nearby jungle-gym, accompanied by the Hatter's girl – what was her name again?

He frowned; how unlike him to forget a name. No matter.

His eyes drifted over to Belle, and he couldn't help but smile softly when he saw her throw her head back in laughter. She had been helping some of the other women ready what appeared to be a buffet table, around which was a sea of checkered blankets and lawn chairs. It was an unseasonably warm fall afternoon, though he was pleased that the sun had yet to make an appearance; its absence combined with the tightness of Belle's jeans made the outing only mildly tolerable.

He flinched when something wet nudged at his hand, and his smile extended just enough as he gave the Cricket's hound a good scratch behind the ears.

"Pongo!" His eyebrows shot up slightly as the Cricket approached, leash in hand and going straight for the Dalmatian. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gold."

"It's fine, it's fine," he reassured the man, giving the dog one final pat before its owner took control. "He wasn't causing anyone any harm."

"Good." The man who had temporarily been his psychiatric ear gave a nod, running his hand through his curly hair, and then cleared his throat. "David says the burgers are almost ready… Did you want me to bring you anything?"

He finally turned his gaze up to the man completely when he realized that he was still trying to make up for some falsely perceived blunder.

"That won't be necessary, Hopper," Gold remarked, trying to keep his tone pleasant – for Belle's sake, anyway. "Someone is seeing to that for me."

"Belle?" Gold nodded stiffly. "Oh, she's just great, isn't she? I hear you two are living together now?"

Hopper swallowed noticeably when his eyes narrowed; Gold did _not_ need to be reminded that he was slowly becoming town gossip for all the wrong reasons.

"We are." The words came with a warning – _do not pry_. He may have gone to the Cricket for advice once before, but he had no intention of ever letting anyone in to that extent ever again, unless they had dark chocolate curls and lovely blue eyes.

"Well, that's just great," Hopper continued tentatively. "Everyone really seems to like her. She fits in really well."

"Hmm."

Of course everyone adored Belle – how could they not? He glanced back over to the table of coleslaw and condiments, and then frowned when he realized she was gone. There were a dozen other people in her place, each one filling up a plate with something or another, and he leaned sideways just a touch as he scoped the crowd for Belle's familiar form. When he did manage to find her, however, his frown deepened, and Hopper took that as a sign to drift off without a word of farewell.

There was his Belle, standing at the barbeque with a plate in each hand, and she was absolutely surrounded by men.

Young single men, mind you. His eyes narrowed. If he remembered correctly, most of them had been knights in the court of Charming and Snow, and in their Storybrooke lives they made up a construction crew who were known for shoddy craftsmanship.

Why did they need to stand around Belle? Gold shifted on the bench, trying to get a better view. She wasn't doing anything particularly interesting, though she did appear to be in rapt attention as one of the oafs regaled her with what was probably some pointless anecdote about hammers and such.

His jaw clenched together, and he leaned back against the bench irritably; this was the last straw.

Unless they were out for a date, Belle always managed to attract an unnecessary amount of male attention when they were in town together. He thought his constant presence might have made their relationship obvious, and yet she seemed to always have a man chatting with her while they were at the grocery store or the pharmacy. In her sweetness, Gold assumed Belle hadn't the slightest idea that all these eligible, tall bachelors were itching to get up her skirt, but he was perfectly aware of their intentions. The fact that she even bothered to humor them drove Gold to the brink of insanity.

His scowl lingered as she freed herself from the group, laughing at something over her shoulder as she sauntered across the greenery toward him and his bench. She beamed as she approached, a cute little swish in her ponytail that made it difficult to stay frustrated with her.

"Hello, Mr. Antisocial," she greeted cheerfully, plunking herself down on his right and handing him his plate. The burger appeared to be loaded with everything he liked, right down the right balance and ketchup and mustard, and there was a healthy helping of her homemade potato salad to keep it company. "You're missing out on all the town gossip."

"I haven't a care for gossip," Gold remarked absently, his eyes drifting toward her plate. "What's that?"

"A hot dog."

The question had been rhetorical, but her response gave the impression that she hadn't caught that. He watched her raise the thing to her lips, her eyes alight with excitement, before taking a massive bite.

"I thought you liked hamburgers," he said as he glanced quickly down at the plate on his lap and then back to her. She shrugged.

"I do." He watched her lick the ketchup off her upper lip. "I just wanted to try something different."

Something different? As he scooped a forkful of potato salad into his mouth, he couldn't help but stare back at the former knights, who were currently chowing down on burgers around the grill. In that moment, he wondered if the subtext was there, that Belle may perhaps enjoy the attentions of young – tall – and attractive males in town, and he was simply too wrapped up his affections for her to notice.

They finished their meal in relative silence, Belle being the one to bring something up randomly. Gold, however, remained lost in his thoughts, the insecurities that he had always felt about being with her particularly potent all of a sudden.

"Are you finished, Rum?"

"What?" he said sharply, her hand on his knee startling him out of his musing. She nodded pointedly down at his plate, which had been sitting for the last ten minutes with a few bites of burger that he had no intentions of finishing. "Oh, yes."

She collected it with a smile, folding both dirty paper plates together before easing herself up and off the bench. He watched her stroll toward the nearby garbage can glumly, and then nearly leapt to his feet as a circular disc whizzed by her head. She ducked with a gasp, hands over her head as she braced for something more, only to stand up laughing at the approach of one of the knights.

"Sorry, Belle!" The man's laughter thundered in his chest as he jogged toward her – something else Gold was unable to do. "It got away from me."

"That's alright," she insisted pleasantly, bending over to grab the orange disc from the ground, an ample view of her backside there for the world to see. "No harm done."

No harm indeed. Gold bristled as she handed the device back to the knight, the same giddy look on her face that she had when he brought her home a new book.

"Look, we're going to start a game in a few minutes," the knight offered, thumbing the congregation of other strapping males rising from their checkered blankets. "Want to join in?"

Oh, yes, that was _precisely_ what he needed – Belle with her little fall jacket tossed casually on the grass as she ran amuck with Charming's knights. Maybe one would offer to lift her in order to catch that stupid disc, accidentally grazing her… No. No, no, no – none of that. Gripping his cane, Gold stood quickly, a hand out to stop Belle from answering.

"Actually, Belle was just going to help me get the desserts we brought out of the car," he informed the man, who was almost two heads taller than him. "Perhaps later."

"We brought dessert?" Belle repeated skeptically as the knight stalked back to his friends. Gold's eyebrows shot up as he nodded, a hand on the small of her back as he turned her toward the parking lot.

"Yes, I put them in the trunk," he lied. He had an idea. It was an idea that would probably get him into a lot of trouble if she wasn't entirely receptive to it. However, he needed to set the record straight and remind all of the stupidly handsome men at that picnic that Belle was taken – permanently.

"And what type of dessert did we bring?" Belle inquired once they were in the parking lot, her arms folded across her chest as she followed him slowly. He grumbled softly under his breath, cursing himself for picking the farthest bloody parking spot in the entire place. The only good thing about it was that they were likely to have all the privacy they needed, which played nicely into his idea.

"Tarts."

"Tarts?"

"Yes."

There was a long pause, and he certainly didn't need to look back at her and read her facial expression to know the look she was giving him. "Right."

By now, she must have realized something else was afoot, but because she was a curious little thing, his darling Belle played along – hopefully until the very end.

They came to a halt in front of his Cadillac, and he heard Belle clear her throat behind him. When he glanced back, he saw her standing there, arms folded across her chest and eyebrows raised, foot tapping the gravel.

"Well?"

"We didn't bring any tarts," he remarked, schooling his features to a sheepish expression. She gave a quick chortle.

"I am aware we didn't," Belle told him as she took a single step forward, her expression still suspicious. "We aren't leaving."

"I know."

"I really want to spend time with everyone."

"I know." He licked his lips, both hands resting on the ornate handle of his cane. "We aren't going anywhere… I merely… wanted a moment alone with you."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows seemed to climb impossibly high on her forehead, still obviously unsure of his intentions, and he offered her a dopey grin.

"Perhaps I was tired of simply admiring the way those," he pointed down to her jeans, "made your legs look."

"_Oh_." She flushed a dull shade of pink, and then glanced over her shoulder. Victory was his when she crossed the gap between them, placing both hands flatly against his chest and leaning up to give him a quick kiss. "And I suppose you can't wait until we're home?"

"Sweetheart," he chided, clucking his tongue at her as he wrapped both arms around her, cane banished to rest against the trunk of the car. "You know better than that…"

She giggled, the sound delightful to his ears, as he swooped down to kiss her, lips claiming hers in a frenzied need that had built up over the course of this ridiculous outing. If only those bloody knights could see her now, see how eagerly she responded to him, see the way her hand snaked up into his hair and tugged. He kept his weight on his good leg, but did not protest when she eased him back against the car. Instead, he merely leant down, lips trailing along her neck, and hooked a hand under her knee, dragging the limb up to his hip.

It was his absolute favourite kind of kiss when she cupped his face, two sweet hands cradling him as she stood up on the tips of her toes to lavish him with affection. He responded somewhat lazily, his lips parting at her persistence, her tongue softly coaxing his forward. He hadn't intended for it to go far beyond this point; he merely wanted access to her neck. However, every time he drifted down there, Belle dragged him back up, the urgency in their kisses growing. His eyes widened when she slipped a hand down between them to stroke him through his trousers, and she smirked impishly at his silent questioning.

They both looked back toward the park, nestled at the far end of the gravel parking lot, and she shrugged half-heartedly when he licked his lips. Gold _never_ needed to be persuaded to take her; never once had he turned her away, nor had he requested they wait until he wasn't busy. He would drop everything for his love, no matter the importance, even if she merely desired to curl up against his chest and hold him. Why should now be any different? He could _still_ fulfill his idea…

He groaned involuntarily, the sound catching and reverberating in his throat, when she stroked him again, her grip much more poignant this time. With all the restraint he could muster, Gold gently eased her to the side, resisting the urge to bend her over the hood of the car and fuck her in plain sight. Instead, he fished his keys out of his pocket, hand shaking in his urgency, and quickly unlocked the back door. Belle smoothed her hands down her jacket, the blush still evident on her cheeks, and then grinned when he opened the door for her.

"My lady," Gold purred, bowing dramatically low as he gestured for her to enter. "After you."

"Gallant _and_ chivalrous, my good sir!" Belle gasped, fluttering her eyelashes at him as she floated by. Gold smirked, and then shook his head.

"Hardly."

She gave a surprised cry when he shoved her inside, and then followed shortly after, slamming the door behind him. After ensuring that they were locked in securely, he tossed his keys in the front seat and crawled forward, situating himself easily between her thighs. It wasn't necessarily the most comfortable place he could have chosen, but Belle didn't seem to mind; her hands went immediately to his belt buckle, and he leaned down to claim her lips once more as she roughly yanked at the garment. His trousers followed shortly after, and he hissed her name when she slipped a hand beneath his boxers to touch him properly.

Normally, he would have liked to take his time with her. He would slide down her lithe frame, planting kisses and nips here and there, and torment her with his tongue until she begged for him. Unfortunately, time was not on their side today, and he worried that one of those damn knights may notice her absence and come looking for her.

Actually, that would have been preferable – let them see her in the throes of ecstasy!

No matter; Belle seemed particularly impatient in that moment and he decided not to make her wait much longer. He fumbled briefly over the button of her jeans; the things may have made her appendages look delicious, but they were certainly far less practical than her airy summer dresses had been. However, he eventually managed to get the thing open, and he tugged the garment roughly down her legs, which forced him to temporarily readjust his positioning to get them off.

She whimpered when his hand delved between her thighs, and the eager signs of her need propelled him forward. After a few careful strokes, Gold pulled his undergarments down just enough to free himself, and then eagerly pushed into her. He swallowed thickly as she gasped his name, her delicate hands clutching at the front of his jacket.

It was always so difficult to remember to move in those first few moments. Gold simply wanted _more_, and preferred to experience the sensations of her, eyes shut and lips pressed firmly together. However, her desperate kisses always brought him back to the moment, and he placed a hand at the back of her head as he began to thrust against her, careful not to knock her head against the door. The other was propped up against the armrest, otherwise he was bound to send them tumbling off the perfectly polished backseat.

She wrapped her bare legs around him, her heels pressing him onward as he took her. He wanted to be gentler, as she deserved nothing but tenderness and love, but her hushed demands for more, harder, _faster_ simply left no room for that. In the fury of movements, Gold pounding against her as though he may never have her again, he realized he had nearly forgotten why he was there in the first place. His lips broke free from hers, and Belle threw her head back, biting down on her lower lip as he turned his pace to sharp, pointed movements, ramming his hips soundly against hers before slowly withdrawing and starting again.

In the meantime, he trailed his lips down her neck, finding the perfect spot that would be visible above her jacket collar, and then latched on. She cried out when he used his teeth, nipping and sucking and coaxing the dark marking forward as he continued to fuck her. A thin layer of perspiration broke out for his efforts, but neither seemed to notice. When he pulled away, he was pleased to see his brand on her creamy flesh, therefore for all the world to see.

There for those bloody knights to see…

His name tumbled from her lips suddenly, and he wondered if it was the marking that had brought her over the edge. No matter – the reason wasn't important. He tried to hang on in an effort to draw every last ounce of pleasure from her, her body clenching deliciously around him, but his attempt was in vain. Moments later, his pace stuttered off erratically, and he hissed desperate proclamations of love in her ear as he came.

They stayed like that for a few moments, but the need to get the weight off his leg forced Gold to get up into a seated position. He handed Belle her jeans, which had been in a crumpled mess on the floor, and he leered at her as she fixed herself back to something proper. A devious grin touched his lips when she tenderly felt the mark on her neck, and he braced for some sort of chastisement. Instead, she merely redid her hair, pulling it back into a high ponytail, and then leaned forward to kiss him.

They walked hand-in-hand back to the park once they were both sorted, the lack of tarts quite obvious, and Gold was the first to speak.

"I suppose you can go throw a disc around now, if you'd like," he remarked innocently, and Belle laughed.

"You know," she started, turning sharply in front of him and gripping his hand, "you don't ever need to worry about them… They're only boys."

He nodded, and then accepted her kiss before she darted off to join the game, which was already in progress. He had wanted to clarify her wording – he needn't worry _anymore_, as that mark was bound to ward off any idiot who dared approach her. However, he kept his thoughts to himself, and decided he had worked up enough of an appetite for another burger.


End file.
